After receiving his doctorate in canon law from Catholic University, Bartholomew F. Fair became a professor at St. Charles Seminary (Overbrook, Pa.) from 1946 until his appointment as pastor of St. Raymond of Penafort parish in 1967. During this time, he also served as assistant pastor at several other parishes within the Philadelphia Archdiocese. He was also a member of the Commission for Sacred Liturgy and served as Spiritual Director for the Children of Mary at the Academy of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Rittenhouse Square.

Fair served as president of the American Catholic Historical Society from 1957 until 1966. He was then named to the newly created post of executive director. He had been active in the Society for over 23 years, also serving as its librarian and curator. He supervised the move of the ACHS to its present headquarters at 263 South Fourth Street and was also responsible for moving the Society’s collection to its present location at St. Charles Seminary.

This collection contains correspondence and writings, including Fair’s dissertation, as well as other miscellaneous materials. Some minutes, annual reports, and treasurer’s reports of the American Catholic Historical Society are also included. Some of the correspondence and writings are in Italian and Latin.

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Proposed in May 1875, the Catholic Club of Philadelphia, formerly the De Sales Institute of Philadelphia, was organized January 2, 1877. The club, one of many founded in major cities throughout the country during the late 19th century, offered wealthy men of a certain socioeconomic background cultural, intellectual, and social opportunities. These clubs sponsored balls, concerts, lectures as well as other events and activities that raised large sums of money for local church charities.

This collection contains administrative records, including by-laws and reports, as well as general correspondence. Programs, souvenirs, and ephemera related to club-sponsored events and events sponsored by other local Catholic societies are also included.

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Established in Philadelphia in December 1850 by Father Edward J. Sourin, the Catholic Philopatrian Literary Institute serves, and continues to serve, as a social, literary, and charitable organization. Father Sourin started the organization as a way for Catholic men to continue their educational and cultural development beyond formal schooling. The Institute frequently sponsored balls, concerts, theatrical productions, and lecture series. Philopatrians quickly became a significant presence within the city as they became involved in both religious and secular affairs.

The collection includes constitutions and by-laws, reports, ledgers, bulletins and newsletters published by the Institute, handwritten histories, and ephemera, such as invitations and circulars.

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Elizabeth Sarah Kite (1864-1954) was a teacher, social scientist, historian, author, and archivist. Born in Philadelphia to Quaker parents, Kite was educated at Westtown Boarding school and the Philadelphia Friends’ Select School; and then studied extensively in Europe. In 1906, she converted to Catholicism, after her experiences with French Catholics. From 1909 to 1918, Kite was employed in the research laboratory at the Vineland Training School, and conducted research in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. She translated Development of Intelligence in Children and The Intelligence of the Feeble-Minded by Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon (translation published 1916). She also researched and published on various historical topics, in particular the influence of French participation during the American Revolution, and served as the archivist for American Catholic Historical Society from 1932 to 1949. Kite became the first laywoman to receive an honorary doctorate of literature from Villanova University in 1933.

The Elizabeth Sarah Kite papers date from 1865 to 1954, with bulk dates of 1890 to 1935, and document the life and literary endeavors of Elizabeth Sarah Kite. This collection contains mostly correspondence, including Kite family letters, as well as ephemera, poems, research notes, autobiographical writings, and drafts and published copies of articles written by Kite.